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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

It's Thursday my dear readers and that means another installment of T'n'T's Confidential! Today author Susan D. Taylor is visiting and giving us a glimpse of the things she needs to write. (I'm totally with the coffee thing too *winks*). Go for it, Susan!

7 Writing Resources I Use to Write...Better

By Susan D. Taylor

Thank you Elyzabeth for inviting to T n' T's Confidential

at

In a Dream Beyond.
I don’t know if I write better with my stash of things but, I believe with them, the writing is a bit easier. Without them, I’d survive, but I don’t know if I’d be as balanced.

#1-Coffee. Yes it’s the first thing I reach for when I get out of bed and especially around four in the afternoon. Not so much at night. I get up early, well before sunrise. Once caffeinated the whole world seems at peace.

#2-Computer. If I had to write with a pen or pencil, nothing would get done. My handwriting is horrible. I’d write in the margins and cross out every other word if not every word. If there were no computers, I’d never have the opportunity to write. Or write much.

#3-Water. This one comes up again. I drink lots of water. Hydration for creation. If you start wilt, immediately it’s not the coffee cup I look for but a glass of water. That is after I’ve had my morning Joe.

#4-Shower. Seriously, some of my best ideas have arrived during a shower. And not because I write erotica, so don’t go there. I take a hot-as-the-handle-will-go shower. I love watching the steam billow, tiny droplets rise in the morning light coming through the bathroom. I relax and then BAM, an idea or answer to some writing dilemma is delivered. If a waterproof laptop is ever invented, I’ll be set. Albeit a bit more wrinkled…

#5-Quiet. Oh yeah, I’m one of those. I love music. All types, but I get too emotionally charged. If I want to write, I tune out everything. I love to use music to inspire or to latch onto an emotion or motivation before writing. But during the quiet, I hear the story and characters. Then it’s as though the story moves through me and I type. Fast as I can.

#6-Elliptical Trainer. I’m ADHD and need to unwind at night. I do yoga but physically need a rapid release of energy late at night. I spend 45 minutes to an hour on the trainer. I have a Kindle Fire and found this is a terrific way to exercise and read. Seems almost too good to be true.

#7-My Husband. He listens to my writing. Truly, reading aloud to him helps me focus on the way the story sounds (cadence), and yes, even catch typos. It’s not the same reading aloud alone. With him, I want to take care and read carefully. He’s the best, and at times when I’m stuck on just the right word, he offers an objective outlook.

So, these are my seven. I know there are countless things, people and even my pets that I’d miss. Yet these SEVEN are what keep me happily writing. Please share what keeps your spirits high. It doesn’t
have to be relative to writing. What keeps you going at work or home or during a challenge? Really what helps you take that extra step?

Monday, January 28, 2013

Happy Tuesday, readers! I'm really happy to welcome back to T 'n'T's Confidential author C.R. Moss. Remember her? She stopped for a visit a few months ago to talk about her sexy cowboys. Today, she's going to tell us all about her Naughty Fairy Tale Lovers and the Fiend.

Lovers
and the Fiend:

Ex-cop turned private investigator, Jack Vorst, learns his elf girlfriend
Kristina has been missing for a few days after being invited to an underground
vampire club. He, too, is summoned to visit club Hexenringe and is taken
captive. Jack finds Kristina bound and gagged in a human sized bird cage.
They’re both thrust into a kinky world at the hands of Kol, the club owner.
Kol, a vampiric beast, shifts into human form to be with Jack and Kristina and
needs them to remember their pasts and to love him so he can return to what he
used to be. Can Kol make the pair fall in love with him despite his current
situation and the fact he’s keeping them captive or will they leave, making it
too late for him to change all their fates?

Welcome
back to T n’T’s Confidential, C.R.!Thanks for having me. I’m happy to be here!

You’ve just
released a Naughty Fairy Tale, Lovers and
the Fiend, tell us about it…

Lovers and the Fiend. This is a story in Evernight Publishing’s Naughty
Fairy Tale line. The characters, Jack and Kristina, appeared in my short story
– Chasing Miss Kringle – that’s in an
Evernight Publishing anthology – Stockings
and Suspenders. This is the first of a handful of stories I have planned
for the NFT line that revolve around the world started in CMK and Lovers. Readers,
you don’t have to read the anthology story to read Lovers, but it’d be nice if you did. ;) The idea for the
world these characters exist in came when I got the idea for Chasing Miss Kringle for Stockings
and Suspenders. At first the anthology story was just going to
revolve around a guy meeting a woman at a 5k race, but then my muse ran with
the paranormal idea and created a dual investigation service. Then, I had an
urge to write for the NFT line and figured CMK
would be a good place to start with a world and setting for that story. It all
takes place in my home town of Las Vegas.

Why did you
pick out this particular fairy tale?

The book I’m promoting today is based off of Beauty and the Beast. That story, along with Sleeping Beauty, was one of my favorite tales as a child. There are
also two other fables threaded into the book. One is off of an elves story and
the other a rendition of Jack Frost.

How was the
creation process for this one? If possible, share with us one surprising thing
you discovered while writing Lovers and
the Fiend.

At times the story flowed and at others it slowed down
due to some research I needed to do for it. I enjoyed coming up with the twists
on the tales and putting it all together. As for a surprising thing, don’t know
if this is ‘surprising’ but I did encounter some interesting websites and more
fairy tales that I’ve marked for future reference.

What was
the best part about writing this novel?

Stepping into writing some m/m again and exploring the
dynamic between the two male characters.

What sets
your hero and heroine apart from the rest?

Kristina is an elf. Jack is an ex-cop, now private detective, who still
can’t quite wrap his mind around anything paranormal. And they both are being
charmed by a supernatural creature named Kol.

As a
reader, what do you look for in a book? How about as an author? Do you try to
convey a message through your words?

As a reader: Well written with a good story line and
depth to it. As an author: I try to deliver the best story I can for the
subject matter I’m writing about. In regards to conveying a message, sometimes.
It depends upon the story I’m working on.

About you….

A favorite quote ~ This too shall pass

A fairy tale you hate…I don’t believe I hate any of
them. :)

And one you’d love to be the main
character of…

Belle from
Beauty and the Beast ;)

Bio: My name is Chris, and I write under the names C.R. Moss for erotic and
mainstream romance and Casey Moss for mainstream dark fiction (horror,
suspense, urban fantasy). My professional bio for C.R.: “An eccentric and
eclectic writer, C.R. Moss pens stories for the mainstream and erotic romance
markets, giving readers Worlds of
Possibilities when it comes to love.” Basically I write stories from the
light and sweet to the dark and deadly with varying degrees of sexual heat. The
bio for my other persona: Casey Moss delves into the darker aspects of life in
her writing, sometimes basing the stories on reality, sometimes on myth. No
matter the path, her stories will take you on a journey from the light-hearted
paranormal to dark things unspeakable. What waits around the corner? Come
explore…

Sunday, January 27, 2013

It’s another manic Monday, Readers! I have grand plans for this week here at the blog. T’n’T’s Confidential brings authors CR Moss and Susan Taylor to visit. Wednesday, I’ll be continuing my Wednesday Brief, Clare, which ended when the young girl fell into a puddle of blood. (Read it here). Since Six Sentence Sunday is officially over *sniff*, I’m going to start participating in Sexy Snippets. But today, Monday, I’m really nervous because I’m taking my first real driver’s lesson!!!!

Learning how to drive in Spain is no mean feat. It isn’t because people here only drive stick shift (automatic cars are a new thing that fortunately are slowly but surely kicking in) but because it costs one helluva’lot of money. Rumors abound about driving school mafias and under the table payments.

This is how things work here:

First of all, you must keep in mind that you must learn how to drive at an official driving school. No, your parents, godparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends…no one can teach you how to drive except a teacher from a driving school. Why is this? The reason for this is because driving school cars are special and they have two sets of pedals, one for the driver and another for the co-pilot, aka, the teacher.

With that in mind, you turn to look for the best driving school you can find that won’t cost you a fortune. Registration fees range from anywhere between 100 Euros to almost 500€. Usually, they include classes on the driving manual, the actual book, and access to old written tests. Sometimes, they’ll throw in a few driving lessons. In my case, my driving school included 10 driving lessons on a simulator and 10 lessons in a real car.

There’s two ways to pass the written test. One, you study the book on your own and go take the test (that’s another 80euros to pay). Two, you go to class and go take the test. On both instances, what they recommend you do is take all the old tests you can until you memorize the answers. I chose option one and passed the test with only 1 mistake.

The written test is the easy part and the cheap part. Driving lessons are priced anywhere from 26 to 35 or even 40 euros per lesson. I’m not sure if it’s by law, but most driving schools will not allow you to take the driver’s test without taking a minimum of 10 classes. Do your math… yep, 10 classes at say 28euros per class is 280 Euros. Normally, people take anything between 20 to 60 classes. Don’t do your math, the figure is just scary. *shiver*.

To take the driver’s test you have to pay another 80euros. This fee only allows you to take the test twice. If you fail both times, you have to pay again, and so on and so forth until you pass. I’ve known people that haven’t passed until the 5th or 6th time around.

The worst of all this is that even after investing all this money in learning how to drive, Spanish drivers aren’t good drivers. In 2010 there were about 500 more deaths in Spain than in Great Britain, just to cite an example.* Madrid is popularly known as “the jungle”, so imagine how that abodes.

Anyhow, I’m deviating from what I wanted to say…I have my first driving lesson today and I’m terrified. Ahhhhhhhhh!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

This is it. The last Six Sentence Sunday! I can't believe it's over. *rubs eyes*

Today's Six, my last Six, belong to that contemporary urban fantasy I introduced you to last week. Remember Victoria? She was frightened, hurrying home on a Friday night. She was right to be scared and now you'll see why...

Adrian watched the human. He used the shadows of the street to cover his moves although it was an unnecessary precaution. She walked head down, ignoring all the rude drunks in the street that called out to her as she passed by their side. She looked tired, exhausted even, yet, there was still a glowing beauty inside of her that called to him. What did the demon queen want from her? He glowered into the darkness as she entered her street.

Thank you for visiting, for commenting, for being there throughout all my Six's. *hugs* Six Sentence Sunday is over but I will be joining another group shortly and I hope to see you all there!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

*sings* It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday! Okay, okay, I'll stop! *grins* I know awful song but the tune is catchy and it is Friday! To make the beginning of the weekend all the more special I've got author Freddy MacKay here with me!

Freddy is giving away a copy of her latest release Cabin for two anthology, so make sure to read the instructions at the end of the post to win!

First
off, thank you Elyzabeth for giving me my own day. ;) **laughs** I appreciate being able to stop by my most recent release
with you and everyone else.

Dirty Little Secret is
one of six stories in the anthology, Cabin
for Two: An anthology, by Toni Griffin, Vicktor Alexander, ME, Mathilde
Watson, Silvia Violet and Angel Martinez. (Make sure to see contest details
below)

Now,
you all may be wondering how the six of us ended up writing an anthology
together—it's a cute little story, one I am happy to share…

You
see… on the way to the theater…

Cabin
for Two – How An Anthology Came To Be

Last September there was a retreat involving many authors, editors
and their plus ones. It was during this retreat that the Cabin for Two: An Anthology was hatched. You see, in one particular
cabin, ten strangers came together and found kindred spirits with each other.

We all had gone to the retreat to meet people we knew online, emailed
with or talked to, and learn a few things, too. Really. There were classes. I
swear. What we didn't expect was to find, meet and make some of the best
friends of our lives.

After a night drive from Chicago to Tennessee, I walked into a cabin
with nine other strangers. Tentative hellos and introductions were made, but
the 'who are you?' atmosphere didn't last long. We talked, laughed, and quickly
became engrossed with each other. I could talk to Angel, Silvia, Mathilde,
Lori, Vicktor, Andi, Chris, Jonathan and Toni for hours about anything, and
did. We spent all of our time together, carpooling from the cabin we were
staying to where classes and meals were, and we stayed up all hours into the
night sharing our lives with one another.

During one break between the classes and eating, someone suggested we write an
anthology together—mainly because we were enjoying ourselves so much, how could
we not want to write together. At that moment the idea of Cabin for Two was hatched. Stories centered around a cabin—much
like the one we were all staying in—and the things that happen when you put two
people together in a cabin. :D

When Saturday rolled around, the idea of
leaving everyone was truly saddening. We decided we wanted time to ourselves, away
from the retreat, and decided to barbequed together instead of going off to the
restaurant that provided the meals for us. We spent a night commiserating and
relishing our time together before we had to leave the next morning, promising
to 'stay' together and write together. Technology is wonderful thing, no?

I miss them, my cabin buddies. I loved
their laughter, their hearts and how much we could came to care about each
other in such a short period of time.

It is with much love and affection these stories
were written and put out there for everyone to read. Each story is centered
around a cabin and what transpires there, but each has its own individual flare
from its author, allowing readers to enjoy a little bit of everything.

Angel's 'A Matter of Faces' story for the
Sci Fi junkies.

My 'Dirty Little Secret' story for the
contemporary fans.

Mathilde's 'Three Little Words' story for
fans who appreciate period pieces set in the 1950s.

Silvia's 'Their Natural Habitat' story for
the men in uniformed lovers.

Toni's 'A Bear in the Woods' story for all
the paranormal readers.

And Vicktor's 'The Other Cabin' for lovers
of the interracial genre.

Blurb

Snow, storm,
transportation woes, gravity well mishaps - the list of disasters that might
strand someone in the wilderness is endless. But what happens when two men are
marooned together? Close quarters and intimate situations strike sparks,
whether the men are strangers or lovers on the emotional rocks.

A Bear
in the Woods by
Toni Griffin

A bear shifter tries
to convince his mate that he's not crazy while fighting threats against his own
life.

The
Other Cabinby
Vicktor Alexander

When a young graduate
finds himself at the wrong cabin facing the muzzle of a shotgun, he had no idea
how much his life has just changed.

Dirty
Little Secretby
Freddy MacKay

A geocaching trip
goes horribly wrong, but the hiker's rescuer is the one person who may be able
to save him in more ways than he can imagine.

Three
Little Wordsby
Mathilde Watson

Lifelong friends have
returned from the Korean conflict and now need to fight their way through the
feelings they've harbored for each other for so long.

Their
Natural Habitatby Silvia Violet

A forest ranger and
his lover just want a nice weekend away. The bear baiters have other ideas.

A
Matter of Faces by Angel Martinez

A data privateer crash lands on
a barely habitable moon where he's found by a research scientist who refuses to
show his face.

Looking down at his phone,
Erik Broden's brows drew together in confusion. The coordinates had to be
wrong. The geocache should be located here. Well, not this exact spot, but
where the green marker indicated it should be. He looked back up. Nope, not so
much. He had spent the better part of the morning tracking down a multicache,
moving from one location to another, interpreting clues, figuring out
coordinates and spending a lot—a lot!—of
time walking around this particular location in the Appalachian hills.

Except I must have screwed up the clue at the last cache.

Erik scratched the
whiskers on his neck, annoyed and frustrated he would have to hike back down
the mountainside to go over the last hint again. It irked him to no end to know
he had gotten the clue wrong somehow. The clues were ridiculously difficult,
and if he hadn't known some really random facts and had some interesting life
experiences in different parts of the world with his friends, Erik wasn't so
sure he'd have been able to solve the cache.

No wonder no one else had. He could see
the average geocachers throwing their hands up in defeat after the first two
hours of the find. Erik chuckled. He wasn't the average cacher though. He lived
for cracking the challenging ones. He glanced back up.

A small cabin stood where
his prize should have been. The geocache hadn't been found yet and the
caretaker promised a 'rewarding prize' for the first find. But he couldn't
claim the prize because he was in the wrong fucking spot, a spot that took him
a better part of an hour to hike to.

He huffed, crossed his
arms, and glared at the obtrusive house. For some reason it felt familiar but Erik
shook off the déjà vu and resigned himself to the climb back down the mountain.
Erik especially loved the problem-solving caches like this one. They were a
challenge tailored made for him and he was particularly good at them. To have
been stumped riled him.

I'm not going to be beaten. He narrowed
his gaze at the house.

The structure wasn't
huge, just a small log cabin with a front porch, a door in its center, and two
windows on either side. But the green indicator clearly lay within the walls of
the building, and not the area surrounding.

Some people had travel
bug hotels in their front yards. They were a place for geocacher's travel
bugs—a trackable tag a person could attach to any item with a particular wish
or goal other geocachers collected, logged and then moved to a new cache—to
rest and get repaired. Most
geocachers didn't hide caches on private property other than the hotels though.
Too many problems were involved… and trampled flowerbeds. Most people stuck to
trails, parks, lampposts, and trees; basically they hid the caches in public
places. In one case, a geocacher made a to-scale group of caches of the solar
system starting at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. You could find the Sun,
Mercury, Venus, and the other planets exploring Chicago as you went. In another
instance, a geocacher hid his caches in unique ways, like having the log sheet
hidden in a hollowed out screw.

Yeah, try and find a
cache on a highway sign and not look
nuts.

All in all, geocachers
were an inventive and fun group of people. The thrill was in the find and in going
to places you may not have thought of going to before, at least for Erik. That
and solving other people's riddles and puzzles. He also liked how he could go by
himself or geocache with a group of people.

When he tackled the
larger puzzle caches like the one he had gone after today, Erik preferred to go
it alone. He was in the mood to just enjoy the weather and spend some quality
time with himself, decompressing from his life and the people in it.

Erik snorted, shaking his
head.

There were too many
people involved in his life lately. He seriously needed to consider deleting
some of them. Literally. Maybe he should just delete his Facebook profile
altogether? It might be less painful at this point.

A gust of wind caused
Erik's wavy, wheat-colored hair to blow in front of his face. He reached up
automatically, trying to pull it back, scowling. He was too lazy to cut his
hair but hated when it got in the way, one of his oddities.

The temperature had
dropped. Even with the sun out the breeze made him shiver. Erik hunkered down,
glad he thought of grabbing his hoodie before leaving. Since the summer had
been so warm, the sun being out was now deceptive. Actually… Erik glanced up,
it wasn't so sunny anymore. A gray sea of clouds covered the once-clear sky.

That was quick.

Erik trembled again and
stuck his phone back in his pocket. He stiffened his arms against his sides,
pressing in. As if hugging himself would help him feel any warmer.

Another gust of wind
whipped around Erik. The branches and leaves around him rustled from the force
of air passing through them. Some of the trees still had their fall colors—reds,
oranges, yellows, and browns—but many of the branches were bare. It had gotten
cold so fast; fall had happened in the blink of an eye.

Or maybe the surrounding
chaos in Erik's life just made it seem that way.

Thanksgiving would be
coming up soon, less than a month anyway. November snuck up on Erik like a bad
crap. One minute everything was fine and dandy, the next, everything exploded. The
damn holiday would only aggravate his problems, too. His family would want an
explanation for his cancelation. Erik did not look forward to lying to his mom.
He adored her and she had been so excited when he told her he was coming home.
She would be heartbroken over him ducking out of the family holiday yet again.
He had promised her that this time he
would be there. Not only would he be celebrating at the house, he said he had a
surprise for her.

He knew she hoped he
would be bringing somebody home with him. Someone significant. He had thought so, too.

Then his sky came falling
down.

Erik chuckled ruefully.
What a day that had been. He had no desire to repeat it. Ever.

It had hurt. That day was
pain personified… and so was Erik. One hand moved to his chest, rubbing at the
ache in residence there. He wondered how long it would hurt. Did he have the
right to feel betrayed? Erik wasn't sure anymore.

Pain blossomed in his
toe, making Erik yelp. He managed to look down before he flew forward. His foot
hit a high root. Stumbling, his hands went out in front of him immediately. But
they weren't what hit the ground first. His knees struck the ground with such
ferocity the sharp jarring sensation following the impact sucked the air from
his lungs, leaving him gasping.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Welcome to another T n'T Confidential date! Today, author Julie Hayes is taking the spotlight to tell us all about her recent release Revelations. Welcome Julie!

Judas has never been very popular, not in any incarnation that he and Jesus and the others have lived through. But he doesn't care about that. All he cares about is following the instructions of God as set forth in the script that they follow. And Jesus. For Judas has secretly loved the son of God for over two thousand years.

But now he decides that enough is enough, and he's tired of watching Jesus die far too early, and for what? This time Judas is determined to see that Jesus lives a long and happy life, no matter what price he has to pay to accomplish it...no matter if he has to make a deal with the devil himself.

Revelations is a story of what could be, told by those who play it out, time after time after time, unbeknownst to the rest of mankind. They've come back again, for yet another round. But this time is going to be different.

The Making of Revelations: How it came to be

The idea was born many years ago. Over forty, actually. When I was a teenager. Back then, it didn’t have a name, and it had no real shape. But I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to tell the story of Judas Iscariot. The trouble was I didn’t know how.

What drew me to Judas, is probably what you’re asking yourself, and that’s a valid question. Ask anyone else who Judas is and you’ll get answers that are probably all variations on a theme of betrayal. I’m not sure exactly when I began to question that, but I do know that when I saw Jesus Christ Superstar performed live back in 1971 (or thereabouts), I had an epiphany regarding him. I saw him, not as the bad guy as often portrayed, but someone who not only believed in Jesus but was willing to do what he needed him to do. For without Judas’ “betrayal” of Jesus, the story would not have worked out the way it did. It needed to happen that way. And if you read the Gospel of Judas, he was the only apostle who trusted Jesus enough to do that for him. Gives one food for thought, doesn’t it?

Very interesting, but where’s the story, I wondered. Was I going to take an historical perspective, research the man and his life? Easier said than done, especially back then. We had no Internet. We didn’t even have computers. Research was all done through books. Libraries had card catalogs, a far cry from today when you can log onto your library website and browse their selection, then request what you want. So I looked and I found bupkus (nothing). I had the Bible, of course, but it tends to be limited on information, as well as a bit biased.

So nothing was written, and I let it go, as my thoughts formulated in the back of my head. In the meantime, I was reading, watching… and learning. King of Kings was my first Biblical movie, and I loved it. Jeffrey Hunter’s portrayal of Jesus is very moving, and I was very enamored of the film. Jesus Christ Superstar – I think I know all the words, I’ve listened so many times. I liked the stage version, but the first film not so much.

Besides watching these things and others, I read. Christopher Moore’s Lamb, The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. What a fabulous book! I loved it! So much I bought the special edition. And I read The Gospel of Judas! Forty years ago I’d never heard of such a thing. Of course I read the DaVinci Code, and watched the movie. And everything began to percolate inside my head…

Then one day it happened. Judas spoke to me, for the first time. And I simply began to write it down, not knowing what he might say, or where his story might lead. It turned out to be quite the story and took me on quite the journey, and led to places that I didn’t expect it to. If he’d have spoken forty years ago, I would not have been ready to receive his message. But my life up until the moment that I first heard him speak prepared me. And the result is Revelations.

The original title was Kyrie Eleison, a tribute to the Mister Mr. song, Kyrie. Kyrie eleison means Christ, have mercy on us. But then fellow author Marie Sexton, who was reading Kyrie for me at the time, suggested a simpler title. A better title. Revelations. So Revelations it became.

I know there are people who will not like Revelations, and by extension, me. People who will not see the message it carries, only that it does not follow what they believe. But ultimately, no matter what you believe, Revelations is a story of love. Love is the message, and love is something that binds us all together.

Revelations is love.

Thank you for having me here, enjoy your day!

Excerpt:

Prologue: God

It's not always easy to sit on the sidelines and watch what is happening, to resist the urge to intervene in his best interest. My son's that is. Jesus. But I do so, because I know it's for his own good. As well as for the good of mankind. I can't let my concerns as his father override my vested interest in the fate of man. But sometimes that is easier said than done.

This morning I am not alone. Someone else is with me, someone with his own agenda, although we are not as diametrically opposed as some would imagine us to be. Good and evil aren't the simplistic concepts some would portray them as being—there are more grey areas there than you might think. And rightly so.

He smirks. Too much for my taste, I have to admit, but sometimes he does have his moments, and he too has a part to play in what is happening in the world of men. Someone needs to fill the role of the villain, after all.

The stage is being set for the third act, the scripts have been handed round, and the actors are taking their places. Will this time end any differently than the others? That depends on my son, on Jesus. I'm thinking this will be the time when he'll make the change.

"He'll change nothing," Lucifer interjects, although I've asked him nothing, certainly not inquired as to his opinion.

I glance at him. He's dressed to within an inch of his life, and wears the most ridiculous sunglasses I've ever seen. I decide not to comment on his fashion sense. "I think he might, this time. I think he's ready for change."

Lucifer snorts. "It's been two thousand years, and neither one has exactly caught on yet. Why should this time be any different?"

"Care to put your money where your mouth is?"

He eyes me carefully. "I would, but you see you have this whole mystic omnipotent God thing going on. Personally, I don't care for those odds."

I arch an eyebrow. "I may be omnipotent, but Jesus does havefree will and he does possess the ability to make his own decisions. You think I'd stack the deck in my son's favor? Just to win a bet with you?"

"Let's say I'm taking no chances." He smiles. "Tell you what, though—give me free rein. Let me do what I want, and you not say anything or do anything to interfere with me? As far as they're concerned, that is."

I open my mouth to object, he hastily interjects. "No killing, I swear to it."

That's better. I still have some measure of control over the serpent.

"So be it." I agree, turning my attention back to where it had been, to my son. I'm smirking now. Openly.

Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two and writing by the age of nine and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing in ways she'd never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men finding true love and happiness in one another's arms and is a great believer in the happily ever after. She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day. While working a temporary day job, she continues to write her books and stories and reviews, which she posts in various places on the internet. Her family thinks she is a bit off, but she doesn't mind. Marching to the beat of one's own drummer is a good thing, after all.Her published works can be found at Dreamspinner Press, and MuseitUp Publishing, and she has also begun to self-publish at various places on the Internet.

Alpha's Claim Anthology

The Crimson Rope Anthology

Spanish Diversion

Sinsperationally Yours Anthology

Welcome Aboard

A Decade of Longing

The Mercenary Tales

The Mercenary Knight

The Mercenary Slave (Book 2 of The Mercenary Tales)

The Lost Mercenary (Book 3 of The Mercenary Tales)

Wednesday Briefs

Your Hump Day Free Read

Nanowrimo

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